Give Roma a warm welcome

UNITED fans are being urged not to carry out revenge attacks when AS Roma visit Old Trafford on Tuesday. The call comes from the Independent Manchester United Supporters Association who are pleading with Reds followers to make sure events at last week's first leg in Italy are not overshadowed by similar incidents at the return match.

On a bloody night at the Stadio Olympico, 18 United fans were taken to hospital after baton-wielding Italian riot police charged them on the terraces and three were stabbed by Roma fans as they made their way to the ground.

Supporters spoke of fearing for their lives at the match which is now the subject of an investigation by UEFA, European football's governing body. The encounter was televised live and shocking pictures of battered and bleeding Reds fans were beamed to millions.

Trouble

With Tuesday's second leg looming the fans' group has sent out a message to fellow supporters reminding them that the majority of the 3,800 Italians expected to make the trip to Old Trafford would not be looking for trouble. It says: "The Roma fans at Old Trafford on Tuesday will be just like most of our fans who went to Rome last week and will be there only to watch the football.

"We all need to make sure that there are no headlines in Manchester to wipe out the memory of those made by Italian police last week."

The plea has received the backing of MP for Blackley and United fan Graham Stringer.

He claimed that United fans have "everything to lose by using violence and everything to gain by not using it" at Tuesday's clash and said: "Not only is behaving well the right thing to do but we have to realise that UEFA aren't even-handed. As they have shown in the past, English fans are treated differently while countries such as Italy where violence is common seem to get away lightly."

Leader of Manchester city council Sir Richard Leese said he was hoping for a "friendly, festive occasion," and added that he hoped Roma fans would be so impressed by what Manchester had to offer that they would return as tourists.